History Comes Alive: Judd Foundation Opens to Public

Back when artists could afford Manhattan, Donald Judd bought a cast-iron building on a sunny corner, moved his family there, and proceeded to perfect his loft-as-sculpture. The celebrated minimalist died almost 20 years ago, but the property, which became headquarters for the Judd Foundation, is ready for public tours only now, after an approvals and funding marathon and a three-year restoration. Architecture Research Office principal Adam Yarinsky painstakingly preserved patina and chipped paint—high-tech interventions such as the computerized fire-safety system go largely incognito in their rough-hewn, artisanal surroundings. Except for new blackened-steel stairs to the basement, it’s like a time machine set on 1992.